December 23

Imagine—these shepherds have just been told by an Angel that the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord of the world, has just been born not far from where they were tending their sheep. While no accurate worldwide population records were kept at the time of the birth of Jesus, it is estimated that the world population was around 300 million; therefore, based on birth rates from that era, there were likely a few million babies born worldwide at the time of Jesus’s birth.

And yet, these shepherds are told by an Angel that one of these millions of newborn babies lies in a manger, a cattle stall, within a short distance from where they tended their flocks, and that this one baby is the Messiah they, and their ancestors before them, have hoped for and have awaited all their lives.

How would we respond if someone told us a story such as this? I pray I would have the faith of these lowly shepherds and believe as they did over two thousand years ago. They did not hesitate to seek out this promised sign, a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger, who, as we all now know, but they did not know, was and is the Messiah, the Savior, the Lord of the world, who is the salvation of the world.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus Christ, who came to us as an innocent baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger. Thank you for the gift of His grace, through which we will have everlasting life. Amen